When I was seventeen, I had my heart set on going to a large eastern university. My father saw differently. My two older brothers had left home a few years earlier to study at a large university, though not the same one that I had picked out. Millions of students do well in large university settings. My brothers' experiences, however, were far from positive. They were just numbers in a large system. Their professors did not connect with them on a personal level. Their social lives were not enriched, and their spiritual development was completely disconnected from the university experience. After one semester, they transferred to separate, smaller Christian liberal arts colleges where they thrived. One went to Malone College and the other to Asbury College (both now small universities). Both brothers are physicians today, having built strong, positive lives on the foundation of their subsequent undergraduate experiences. From observing my older brothers' experiences, both within separate Christian higher education contexts, my father quickly developed settled views about what kind of environment was optimal for my future. In his mind, a smaller Christian setting was a "best buy." I enrolled in Asbury. While I was tremendously unhappy about his choice, it turned out that he was right. The small Christian liberal arts college was a healthier, more caring, more engaging context for my holistic development through my undergraduate years. Besides, I found the love of my life there and married her. This alone had lasting social-spiritual impact. My two younger brothers followed suit and the five of us were the beneficiaries of a higher higher education where smaller was better, more personal, more engaging, and a greater blessing!
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